The New Logitech Harmony 1100 Advanced Universal Remote Control

Hi! I’m Lloyd Klarke and I’m part of the Harmony team in Toronto, Canada that makes kick-butt remote controls. My job at the office is the director of product marketing, but at home, I’m the backyard bar-b-que king.

I’ve always enjoyed the annual trek to Las Vegas for CES to see all the new products. TVs are always a highlight with bigger screen sizes and thinner profiles (I read that Samsung is now at 6.5 mm!). But what really amazes me is the dizzying amount of new devices launched every year for our living rooms. Thousands of manufacturers and thousands of products – that’s where Harmony remotes come in.

At this year’s CES, we’re announcing the newest addition to the Harmony line, the Harmony 1100, a 3.5” touch-screen, tablet-style remote. Like all of our Harmony remotes, it makes all those new (and old) devices in your living room work together. You just touch the button that says “Watch a Movie” and your Harmony powers on your TV, stereo, DVD player and sets all the inputs. (One customer told me that it even starts his popcorn maker!)

What sets the Harmony 1100 apart from the rest is its ability to deliver personalized control for my unique entertainment habits. Each of the main screens includes 2 sidebar areas where you can place whatever command you need (or want). For example, I have a HDTV and rent a lot of DVDs so I’ve added a surround sound button and an aspect ratio button to the screen that shows play, pause, and stop, (the transport screen). When we watch TV, I go for the movies and a few sports channels but my wife likes watching Brothers and Sisters and Lipstick Jungle on network TV. To make us both happy, I added channel logos to favorites screen and because we use a DVR, I then added a few TiVo commands.

51 comments

As someone who was involved in beta testing, I’m kind of mad that Logitech didn’t heed our advice and change their press photos. That first photo is what’s on the front of the box and we pointed out that the remote does NOT say ‘What would you like to do?’ Rather, there is NO text above the activities. Oh, and for anyone that IS concerned about the clock after wanting one so bad on the 1000 and not getting it despite press photos showing one….there IS a functional clock on the 1100.

You are absolutely right, Wannabeactuary. The image has already been changed on the retail box… and is now also changed on this post. Thanks again for your help during beta testing – your feedback was very helpful!
- Lloyd

What are the plans for BlueTooth? I have a Bose Lifestyle and a PS3 that both use BlueTooth for control. Granted I can use IR for the Bose, but I am out of luck with the PS3. I have an 880 now and was planning on upgrading if there was BlueTooth connectivity to devices.

In response to Jay, there are several devices that add IR ability to the PS3. I think the running favorite at this point in time is the IR4PS3. Unlike the Nyko it allows powering the PS3 on and off. Unlike the IR2BT it’s not as expensive and more frequently in stock. Also, as far as I know, Bose does not use BT, but rather RF. Again, I’m not logitech, but I don’t see them going into BT because of all the variations. All you need to do is go to the Garmin website to see that some of their GPS units are BT enabled, but don’t work with all phones, to realize that BT isn’t as universal of a format as one might think. Also, as I said over at the CNET article on the 1100, other than the PS3, there aren’t any big players/devices in the field using BT. Heck, other Sony products aren’t even using BT. In short, it was Sony being cheap and not adding in a very inexpensive IR receiver and instead using the BT it was already using for the game controllers. Honestly, I’m quite shocked that Sony did this AFTER making the same mistake with the PS2. Initially the PS2 didn’t have an IR receiver and it was only later versions of it that added one internally.

In response to Jan, the Squeezebox Duet operates over wi-fi, which is not built into any of the harmony remotes. Similar to the BT arguement, what else out there in the Home Theater market needs wi-fi to be controlled? The Squeezebox Duet needs it because of the back and forth of information on the Duet controller, while the original Squeezebox operates on IR and is easily integrated with any of the harmony remotes.

I tried to compare the two universal remote models Harmony 525 and 555 using the feature comparison on the Swedish version of this site. According to the results page, the two models are identical, except for the color. Then why the large price difference?

Since I couldn’t find a single email address for general feedback and/or questions on the Logitech contact page, I chose this avenue instead.

Thanks for your post. It looks like there might be an error on our Swedish site because there are a few differences between these two models.

The biggest difference is that the Harmony 525 controls up to 10 devices while the Harmony 555 controls up to 15 devices. The other main difference is the addition of dedicated Sound and Picture buttons on the Harmony 555.

Every Harmony customer has different needs and unique likes, but for my system at home, I like the Sound button, especially because it gives me quick access to changing my sound modes. I like to switch from Surround to Dolby to theater depending on what I’m watching or what I’m listening to.

Please consider one improvement to the harmony line: Activities should *not* necessarily be linked to video inputs. Activities should be linked to what one is doing. If I have several set-top boxes to watch TV, they should all be under the “Watch TV” activity, not under the “Watch box1″ and “Watch Box2″ activities. And if I so wish, I should be able to scroll using +/- from channel to channel without having to worry what box the channel is on. What channels are where should be detailed during the remote setup and hidden after that. Changing activity to change channel, or having several activities just to watch TV, makes no sense at all to me.

I agree. I am looking for a remote that would either combine what this remote offers (or the Harmony ONE) with the functionality of the Squeezebox remote. Is that going to happen or should I settle on buying both of these and having two remotes laying around?

Can someone tell us what’s the difference between 1000 and 1100 i.e. what does 1100 brings in new to the table. From the information found so far, it has a working clock on the screen and it is in BLACK color.

I think people who already have used Harmony line would like to know what’s new in this product?

While the Harmony 1100 looks very similar to the Harmony 1000 on the outside, it’s the inside that has changed the most. We’ve rewritten the on-remote software (we now use Flash) to offer new features. For example, we’ve been able to speed up the transition between screens to less than 1/4 second! Sounds small, I know, but it actually makes a big difference when using the remote. Another really cool thing that this new software offers is the ability to customize up to 32 buttons in each activity. I really, really love this. I can set it up exactly how I like it. Take another look at my post above for images of what I mean.
Cheers,
Lloyd

in response to WantAnAllInOne…squeezebox or squeezebox duet? the squeezebox operates on IR, and thus is easily controlled by any harmony model. The duet operates on wi-fi and isn’t controllable with a harmony remote.

In response to Amit, over at AVSforum there is a 1000 vs 1100 thread that has some good running commentary.

Thanks for this information. From your comments it seems that the hardware is the same just the OS/Software and the outerplate (black with tacktiles) is changed. Is it possible to load the newer software on the 1000? I am thinking even if it is technically possible Logitech will never support or let the users do it initially. Is this correct?

Your comments indicate that from hardware standpoint it is all the same. So it seems luke iPhone 2.0 where Apple lets iPhone 1.0 users upgrade to the newer software does Logitech also has plans to release the newer software version for 1000 (maybe at nominal cost)?

Hi again, Amit,
Some people say that, technically, almost anything is possible. In this case however there’s enough different “under the hood” that made it necessary to release a full new product. We do not have any plans to adapt the Harmony 1100 on-remote software to the Harmony 1000.
Of course both of these remotes are great in their own way. I have a soft spot in my heart for the Harmony 1000 because it was our first touch-screen, but I get a real kick out of customizing my 1100 with buttons where I want them.

I have recently built a new home and wired it for whole house audio/video (8 audio with 4 video zones). I used Jamo A-Bus IR technology to connect the 8 zones back to a central wiring closet that contains all the A/V equipment. Question I have is can I use the Harmony 1000 or 1100 in a multi-zone environment. I am currently controlling the 12 source devices that are in the closet (3 A/V receivers, 4 DVR’s, 4 DVD’s and a CD player) by the use of two or three remotes at each zone location. What I would ideally like to do is program one or two remotes that I could make ‘zone aware’ which would then control the devices associated with each zone. Obviously, the remote would need to be in the zone I wish to control but moving a remote would be a lot simpler than the current environment.

From reading your literature it would appear to be possible by customizing activities but I haven’t seen any references either on your website or on any tech-blogs that evidence usage in a multi-zone environment. Thanks for your help.

The Harmony 1100 would be the best choice for this situation. Harmony 1100 remotes are most frequently used for control of a single system supporting different Activities like Watch TV and Watch a DVD, but can also be programmed to operate within a more complex environment like the one you describe. One thing to keep in mind: if you are using one AV receiver to control multiple “zones,” you may need to add each “zone” as a separate device. This allows the 1100 to send the correct commands used by the receiver for each zone (e.g. for volume control). Based on what you describe below, you would most likely need two Harmony 1100s to operate all devices and zones. Please note that the Harmony 1100 is also compatible with up to three RF extenders. which can be used to control components without having line of sight, up to 100 feet away.

One of the biggest complaints some of us had on the old 1000 model was that the volume button on the right will get stock and blow everyone’s ears away. Did you do anything to fix the quality of the volume and channel buttons?

So that’s it. All us 1000 users now have an obsolete remote that will not even get a much needed update because all the work will be put into the 1100 now. Please Logitech, do not abandon your 1000 users that have been waiting for over 2 years for what was supposed to be delivered to the 1000.

I just bought my 1000 a few months ago after giving up on waiting for a newer touch screen remote. Now of course, as soon as I purchase the 1000 and suffer the august update meltdowns with everyone else, I am betting that you will now ignore us 1000 users in a drive to get us to buy the 1100 instead. Don’t do it Logitech, don’t do it.

Unfortunately, we’re not able to provide an upgrade path for the Harmony 1000 to the new software. This is due to a combination of factors, but both the hardware and software have changed in ways that limit our ability to migrate an existing Harmony 1000 remote and account to the Harmony 1100 software.

One very important feature is the ability to use sequences in the 1000, i have heard rumors that the sequence feature has been excluded from the 1100. WHY??? After choosing an activity as watch DVD, that powers on TV, DVD, Amp etc, you need to be able to have buttons that can perform sequences, for example press play on DVD, adjust volume first 20 steps down and the 5 steps upp resulting in volume 5 etc… Will you add the possibility to create sequences in a later update, if yes when approx do you think you will do that and what prio do you think that feature has compared to other that you plan to add with software updates???

Harmony 1100 customers do have the ability to add custom startup actions to an activity. This means that if you want to start an Activity and have it automatically send DVD Play and adjust volume you can.

Harmony 1100 customers do not have the ability to customize hard or soft buttons to send such sequences – individual buttons are mapped to one command. Instead, 1100 customers can customize name/graphics on the eight buttons on either side of the screen, which was not possible with the Harmony 1000.

Although early versions of the Harmony 1000 received reports about the lock-up issue, later versions of the Harmony 1000 firmware fixed this for most customers. Please make sure you’ve upgraded to the latest 1000i firmware. The Harmony 1100 is using new software built from the ground up to enable the new features in terms of graphics performance and customizability, and we have not had reports of this type of issue for the 1100.

it’s definitely a great product and i’m looking forward to order one as soon it’s available in Europe (March?). How do you customize the icons? can you upload any image for this purpose? Does the remote work with the Apple TV?

Our software wizard will walk you through the steps for customizing icons. You can upload any low-res image you have on your computer. And yes, the remoted is compatible with Apple TV. If you want to check compatibility with other devices, click here. (Note: You’ll find Apple TV under Media PC.)

In response to John (with the 8 audio and 4 video zones) and Lloyd, I would disagree. I would be more inclined to recommend the 890Pro (not the regular 890). The benefit of the 890Pro is that you can had multiple remotes (up to 6 I think) and up to 6 extenders to the same account. This specific remote model, unlike any other, allows for multiple extenders to control the same devices because there is actual communication between the remotes to know what the other remote did. Using multiple 1100′s to control the same devices will confuse the harmony smart state technology.

Today, Feb 26th, I Just purchased the Harmony 1000. Did I make a mistake? Should I have brought the 1100? From some of your comments about software dowloads and updates I should buy the 1100. I can still take it back but did not see the 1100 in the store. What would (YOU) do?
Mike

I’m having the same issue that Les is having. I have a Harmony 1000 and just now did a firmware update. The problem is, that there is no way to tell if a firmware was actually updated to a newer version or just a re-install of what was already on the remote. I’ve searched the site to determine what is that latest firmware version number. At startup, the remote says 5.0.0. I’ve had the version for quite a while and still have the issue with locking up and sometimes the hard buttons (volumn up and down and channel up and down) keep sending the command. I’ve followed the steps about adjusting the setting in the remote down to 0, but it still happens.

I understand that you can’t necessarily update the 1000 with the 1100 firmware, but are there going to be continuing support and updates for the 1000 or is it as good as it’s going to get?

I bought the Harmony 1100 and RF Extender and have to say it was a great buy! Very user friendly and works great. The only issue I have is every time I update the remote, the software gets to 90% complete and then errors our after the reboot. The changes do actually get made to the remote, it’s just that the software doesn’t recognize it and thinks the remote is not current. I called support, but they don’t know why this is happening. I am running the software on a MAC running 10.5.6.

Hey, first off i’m very angry about forking over the cash for the Harmony 1000 only to find that most of the buttons cannot be configured and that the level of customization is painfully low. Why don’t you release some updates for the 1000? Why would anyone ever pay an insane amount of money for an 1100 after being wronged by the 1000? How about this. Offer an update for the 1000 that has a similar interface that the 1100 has, or make the 1000 a little more customizable. I hate to say but your current programing interface “Remote Software 7″ is terrible. I know this hardware can do better… Update your/our software…

Hello, we want to use a harmony 1100 with RF extender for multi simultaneous functions in zones. So if we have a Sony DG 920, and a sony 5 disc DVD and a HD Motorola CATV box which represents the entertainments zone but also have a Sherwood 2 channel tuner and a couple of music sources into is as well. We would like to be watching the entertainment system but the user pick up the harmony and take control of the Sherwood and turn it on and listen to music in another zone and not disrupt the Video/Entertainment zone.

At present, when we do this, it turns off the entertainment zone and then fires up the music. What are we missing. How can we find some help for this activity…TD

Your best bet is to access customer support — they’re very knowledgeable and will be able to help you fine-tune your settings. Log into your account through the software and you’ll have access to phone and e-mail contact information there.

can you upgrade from the Harmony 1000 to the Harmony 1100 and still keep the same setup for the controlled devices in your system, or do you have to start from scratch and reconfigure your entire setup?

I have not heard of this complaint, so it sounds like it might be specific to your environment. While I can’t promise that the H1100 won’t behave in the same way in your location, I can tell you that we have not had any support calls to date of this nature. Also, please double check to make sure that you have the latest firmware for the Harmony 1000.

I’m looking for a solution to controlling a media center PC remotely. I’d rather not have to run a second monitor over by the couch and this seems like something that could work, but all I have heard regarding functionality has been about controlling stand alone media units (dvd players, xboxes, etc.)

I have both an 890 pro and 1000 remote with the extenders. I have had great luck with both of these products and have tried remotes that have cost 6 times as much with my 100k home theatre. You have really lost me as a customer due to the fact that you changed your customer service policy this year and only allow for a couple of week window to access the logitec team to help customize your remotes. When you have a complex system like mine it was the customer support that was the selling point. Your people at level 2 made it easy and a pleasure to integrate a 9k krell evo 505 into a system……Every time I upgraded my system I knew your team would be there. I feel like you abandoned me in the name of profits. What a shame that I have to buy an 1100 and set it up all over again only to be left on my own after a couple of weeks if there are any glitches.

Thank you for taking the time to write us. You\’re right that we have recently changed our free support period to 60 days. We are currently reviewing our Harmony support and will be making further updates in the near future that should address your concerns.

I have two TiVos in the house and want to make sure that when I send a command to a TiVo in one room it doesn’t send the same command to the other TiVo which I’d like to operate with a separate remote. From what I’ve read some remotes can accomplish this by using different frequencies. Can the 1100 or 890 do this?

I have the same question Aaron G has. I have a home-built media center that serves as the foundation of my home entertainment center. Can the 1100 be used to control my PC as well?

For example, can I program a button on the remote to open Winamp or Media Player and display a custom screen with buttons that control said programs? I’m looking for a “one click” solution to opening and controlling my media programs on my HTPC without having to use a mouse and keyboard.

There are many third party-options available for controlling a PC using a Harmony remote. I highly recommend using Vista’s (or Windows XP Media center edition) built-in Media Center software because of its ease of use and integration. Other solutions require more setup but may work well for you. Whichever option you choose, you’ll need an IR adapter for the computer to be controlled by the remote and appropriate software.

I guess if the remote works, it sounds great. I wouldn’t know. I’ve had mine for a week and a half. When you hook it up to the internet, it actually tells you it’s defective and unusable. I’m still waiting and noone has lifted a finger to fix it, replace it or refund me. I hope you all have better luck than me.

@Lloyd Klarke: I absolutely love my Logitech Duet with it’s controller. I hate the fact that i can not use any remote control to replace all my remotes, including the Duet.
I understand you need wi-fi to-and-from traffic to the Harmony, which means that the next Harmony 1200(?)needs a major redesign.
When can we expect a Harmony that includes two-way wifi traffic for the Duet? It would the ultimate remote controller.
Thanks

I read that the harmony 1100 is TVIX 6500A ‘proof’ and that it can control this device. Could you please inform me if you are also able to view / scroll through the content (which is on the tvix 6500) on the screen of the harmony 1100. Then select the multimedia file (movie, music) and play it on your tv or audio
Thanks
Paul

i own a harmony 1100.
i wish to operate an amplifier and an dvd player behind closed doors.
also i want to operate my sony bravia kld-40ex1 tv witch is operated thru rf
the harmony operates the dvd player and amplifier perfectly when doors are open.
but not the tv?
i don’t understand what to do.
should i buy an rf extender?
because the extender is operated thru rf and converts it to ir !?
and as i mentioned my tv needs rf

Lloyd has taken on a new role at Logitech, so I’m happy to answer your question. The Harmony 1100 and diNovo Mini are actually very different. The Harmony 1100 controls your home-entertainment system, while the diNovo Mini can control your computer when hooked up to your TV. Think of the diNovo Mini as a miniature keyboard and touchpad for your living room.

LLoyd, is there a way to setup “nested” activities on the device? I am trying to use it for a corporate conference room (rather than a Crestron) and my people are going to need to be able to change things like source and A/V settings mid presentation. This would be something like move from the computer presentation to play a DVD or something of that nature which will of course require them to think about things. I am hoping to use this device to make it all as simple as possible. Additionaly, is there a way to make sure that the volume level on the A/V unit is “reset” to a specific point each time the system is started up?

I have a Harmony 1000, i was reading the Q and A,s on here and a lot of people were asking if the support and updates will still continue for the 1000, i would actually like a difinitive answer to this, also you COULD use some of the software that runs the 1100 its just up to Logitec to do it , to be honest it would just be nice to have the clock on my 1000 as seen in picture and why oh why not put bluetooth facilities in to 1100, and when you spend this kind of money on a remote i would expect a bit longer than 60 days help !! do i buy an 1100 well not until it is able to control all aspects of audio and video bluetooth, R.F. WiFi and the like, i like my Harmony 1000 very much but i still need to know what are its limits before its too outdated.

I have had 3 Logitech Harmony remotes now….1st being the 659, then 880 and now 1100.
I have to say, the best remote in terms of reliability and compatibility was the 659….even though you and to keep feeding it AAA batteries.

My question for the 1100 is, how come it wont control the volume on my Harmon Kardon AVR1600 receiver? I’ve tried doing the “learn” function etc…and no luck.

I feel kind of stupid when I spent $500 for this remote, and it cant control all of my components.

The Harmony 1100 will control the HP Touchmart PC. When adding the device, you will need to add it as a Media Center PC and use the proper model number for the PC (i.e. IQ-500, IQ800). You will also need to ensure that your HP Touchsmart supports the Remote control module.

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